January 16, 2023 at 6:00 PM - Regular Board of Education Meeting
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1. GPS Board of Education Information
More Information:
The meeting agenda will be kept current and available for public inspection in the office of the Secretary of the Board of Education at the Central Office during regular working hours.
District Vision: Gering Public Schools provides a collaborative community, inspiring excellence and innovation in teaching and learning to empower student growth and leadership in school and life. District Mission: Gering Public Schools exists to equip today's learners with the skills necessary to be tomorrow's leaders. The Open Meetings Act requires and the intention of the Board is that agenda items be sufficiently descriptive to give the public reasonable notice of matters to be considered at the meeting. The Board of Education releases its agenda well in advance of most meetings and desires that all interested persons are fully informed. Any interested person who has a question or needs clarification about the sufficiency of a descriptive item should contact the Office of the Superintendent of Schools. If anyone in attendance is interested in addressing our Board, you are welcome to do so. We simply request that you complete the appropriate form and turn it in to us now, so that you may be recognized during the 'Patron Comment' section of our meeting. These forms are located by the entry doors of the meeting room. Agenda items are subject to reordering at the discretion of the board president. Board members may request specific agenda item(s) be moved to a different place on the agenda. Please attend the entire meeting to ensure you hear discussion on a particular agenda item. |
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2. Opening Procedures
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2.1. Call to Order by Dr. Nicole Regan, Superintendent
More Information:
The Board of Education reserves the right to enter into Executive Session for the protection of the public interest, or the prevention of needless injury to the reputation of an individual, and if the individual has not requested a public meeting.
Discussion:
Dr. Nicole Regan called this meeting to order at 6:03 pm.
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2.1.i. Oath of new board members.
Greg Trautman and John Maser take oaths as new board members. |
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2.2. Roll Call
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2.3. Excuse Absent Board Member(s)
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2.4. Pledge of Allegiance
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2.5. Open Meetings Act
More Information:
Pursuant to Section 84-1412 of the Nebraska Statutes, the public is hereby informed that a current copy of the Nebraska Open Meetings Act is posted in the Board meeting room on the north wall.
Notice of this meeting was published in the Gering Courier on Thursday, January 12, 2023. |
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3. Board Organizational Meeting
By board policy, the Superintendent will chair the election of the President and then the newly elected President will preside over the other elections. 1. Election of School Board President |
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4. Convene the Board of Education to Order
The newly elected Board President will now preside over the meeting. 1. Election of School Board Vice President 2. Dissemination of Ethics/Accountability & Disclosure statutes and Board Member Code of Ethics (Policy # 202.1).
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5. Consent Agenda
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At this time, any Board member may request that any item in the consent agenda be removed from the consent agenda and be considered and voted on separately.
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5.1. 1.Consent Appointments and Designations:
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5.1.i. American Civics, Curriculum & Personnel Committee (Facilitators, Dr. Regan & Kory Knight)
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5.1.ii. Finance & Facilities Committee (Facilitator, Stacy Rodriguez)
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5.1.iii. Board Secretary: Lindsey Mashek, Administrative Assistant to the Superintendent
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5.1.iv. Board Treasurer: Stacy Rodriguez, Director of Finance & Facilities
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5.1.v. Appoint Superintendent Dr. Nicole Regan as the Authorized Representative to secure funds for Gering Public Schools.
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5.1.vi. Federal Authorized Representative: Dr. Nicole Regan, Superintendent of Schools.
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5.1.vii. Depository for Funds:
1. Platte Valley Bank 2. Riverstone Bank 3. First National Bank of Omaha 4. Nebraska Liquid Asset Fund 5. BOK Financial Services 6. Wells Fargo Corporate Trust Services |
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5.1.viii. School Physician: Regional West Physicians Clinic
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5.1.ix. Designation of Legal Council:
7. KSB School Law 8. Perry Law Firm |
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5.1.x. Designation of District Newspaper of Record: Gering Courier
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5.1.xi. Designation of ADA Compliance Officer: Byron Olsen, Director of Student Services
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5.1.xii. Designation of Title IX & XIII Officer: Dr. Nicole Regan, Superintendent of Schools
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5.2. Minutes from the previous month's board meeting(s)
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5.3. Expenditures:
General Fund $208,637.14 Activity Fund $62,905.17 Cafeteria Fund $117,458.69 Bond Fund $700.00 Student Fee Fund $10,417.20 |
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5.4. Board Policy Adoption
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5.4.i. First Reading of Board Policies
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5.4.i.1. 407.5 CERTIFICATED EMPLOYEE WORKERS COMPENSATION
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5.4.i.2. 407.6 CERTIFICATED EMPLOYEE TAX SHELTER PROGRAMS
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5.4.i.3. 407.7 NEGOTIATIONS
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5.4.i.4. 408.1 CERTIFICATED EMPLOYEES-RESIGNATION
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5.4.i.5. 408.2 CERTIFICATED EMPLOYEE CONTRACT RELEASE
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5.4.i.6. 408.3 CERTIFICATED EMPLOYEE RETIREMENT
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5.4.i.7. 408.4 CERTIFICATED EMPLOYEE SUSPENSION
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5.4.i.8. 408.5 CERTIFICATED EMPLOYEE REDUCTION IN FORCE
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5.4.ii. Second Reading of Board Policies
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5.4.ii.1. 406.7 CERTIFICATED EMPLOYEE TRANSFERS
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5.4.ii.2. 406.8 CERTIFICATED EMPLOYEE EVALUATION
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5.4.ii.3. 406.8R1 REGULATION FOR CERTIFICATED EMPLOYEE EVALUATION
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5.4.ii.4. 406.9 CERTIFICATED EMPLOYEE PROBATIONARY STATUS
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5.4.ii.5. 407.1 CERTIFICATED EMPLOYEE SALARY SCHEDULE
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5.4.ii.6. 407.2 CERTIFICATED EMPLOYEE SALARY SCHEDULE ADVANCEMENT
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5.4.ii.7. 407.3 CERTIFICATED EMPLOYEE CONTINUED EDUCATION CREDIT
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5.4.ii.8. 407.4 CERTIFICATED EMPLOYEE COMPENSATION FOR EXTRA DUTY
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5.5. Personnel Items
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5.5.i. Certified Staff Contract(s)
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5.5.ii. Certified Staff Resignation(s)
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5.5.ii.1. Mrs. Evangelina Suarez-Vohland, Gering High School Spanish Teacher
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5.5.ii.2. Mrs. JoAnn Wilson, Gering High School Business Teacher
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5.5.ii.3. Mrs. Kim Busby, Gering High School Math Teacher
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5.6. Approval of Early Graduation Request from Aralyn Urwin (2023-24 school year)
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6. Reports and Discussions
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6.1. Building Report: Lincoln Elementary
Discussion:
Pam Barker, along with Naomi Morales, presented a jam-packed snapshot of all the great things happening at Lincoln Elementary. Mrs. Morales wanted to show the board all the After-school clubs (Student Council, Cursive Club, Art Club, STEM Club, just to name a few) that Lincoln students are involved in. PBIS (Positive, Behavioral, Interventions, Support) Celebrations are also a main focus at Lincoln Elementary. Some of these celebrations have included a sock hop to celebrate the 50th day of school, Drug Free Week, as well as the Golden Ticket Vending Machine. Mrs. Morales closed by saying that there has been a tremendous amount of growth in the reading and math programs at Lincoln Elementary.
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6.2. Employee Recognition: "Bulldogs Going Beyond"
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6.2.i. Mickie Janecek, Kindergarten @ Lincoln Elementary
Discussion:
Pam Barker introduced Lincoln Elementary's BGB award recipient this evening. Mickie Janecek, a Kindergarten teacher, was nominated by Chelsy Loomis. Chelsy read her nomination letter stating why Mrs. Janecek deserved this award. She has worked with her for 9 years, and has also had her teach one of her own children. Mickie demonstrates great communication skills, and advocates for students to learn.
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6.2.ii. Terri Buehler, Paraprofessional @ Northfield Elementary
Discussion:
John Wiedeman introduced Northfield Elementary's BGB award recipient as well. Terri Buehler, a paraprofessional, was nominated by Allison Wagner and Jenna Libsack. Both Allison and Jenna have had the pleasure of having Mrs. Buehler working in their classrooms. She does an exceptional job with students, and always has a positive attitude. She has worked endless hours to make sure she understands the spectrum, and that every student's needs are met. Terri just wants to be the best for her students.
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6.3. Board Committee Report: Curriculum & Personnel
Discussion:
Tracy Wiese spoke on behalf of the Curriculum Meeting. She stated that there is continuous improvement in regards to the math curriculum. The committee is still determining whether or not the elementary curriculum needs updating. Personnel contracts go out February 1, 2023 and are due March 1, 2023. There is still work being done on the 2023-24 school year calendar, regarding more planning time for the teachers.
Kory Knight made mention that it's an 8-step process to choose the best math curriculum. |
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6.4. Board Committee Report: Finance & Facilities
Discussion:
Brian Copsey reported in regards to this committee meeting. New board members, John Maser and Greg Trautman were also present at the meeting. Stacy gave an in-depth review of the district's budget. She wanted to remind the committee that there would not be any tax funds again until May 2023. More chromebooks are going to be purchased with ECF funds. New HVAC units will be arriving soon for Geil and Northfield. The welding shop at GHS is getting a new ventilation system with ESSER Funds, and the car lift in the shop is also being replaced with the CAPWN Grant. There has been a broiler replaced at the Jr. High as well.
We are still waiting for the playgrounds to be installed at the preschools, and hope that project is finished soon. The City Of Gering has raised their prices on mowing at our facilities, so Curt Hanson is working on getting quotes for this upcoming summer. Lastly, the district has purchased a drone that will paint the football field. |
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6.4.i. Monthly Finance Summary Report
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6.5. Legislative Update
Discussion:
Brian Copsey is now the NASB representative for Gering NE. He went over many bills that he will be going over at the upcoming legislative meeting, Jan 22-23. In 8 days, there have been 464 new bills introduced. We look forward to Brian representing our area, and hearing what he is able to do to help our district better serve our community.
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6.6. Superintendent's Report
Discussion:
Dr. Regan commented that the teachers at GPS have nothing but sheer talent, and it shows with the BGB awards. She is also very excited to have Brian Copsey representing Western Nebraska on the Legislative committee. Reminder that the Pre-K/Kinder expo is Feb 22, 2023, and online registration opened today (1/16/2023). Lastly she wanted to congratulate GHS as one of the Samsung State Finalist. Gering is 1 in 5 schools that received this reward in the state of Nebraska.
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7. Patron Comments
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8. Action Items
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8.1. Discuss, consider, and take action to amend the verbiage on the $370,000 LOC for the Gering Construction House, approved on May 16, 2022 to state the following: Platte Valley National Bank is the financial institution where the $370,000 Line of Credit is housed. The Line of Credit is a 12-month term, and Dr. Nicole Regan, David Ferreyra, and Stacy Rodriguez are the authorized signers on the Line of Credit.
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9. Board Comments
Discussion:
John Maser- Enjoyed attending the committee meetings, and is excited about this learning experience.
Josh Lacy- Congratulated the new board members, as well as the BGB recipients. Also a special thank you to Lincoln Elementary for their building presentation. Tracy Wiese- Welcomes the new board members, and also congratulated the Gering Speech Team. Greg Trautman- Thanked everyone for a smooth transition into his new role. He is amazed at what the district does, and looks forward to building up what GPS already has going. BJ Peters- Encouraged the new board members to ask lots of questions. Congratulated Brian Copsey on his new role with NASB, and thanked Lincoln Elementary for their amazing building report. Brian Copsey- Also congratulated the new board members, and let them know what an amazing group of professionals they are going to be working with. Another congrats to the Samsung Program, Speech Team, as well as Girls and Boys Wrestling Teams. Remember, it's all about the KIDS!!! |
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9.1. Tentative Upcoming Board Meeting/Event Dates
More Information:
Future Board MeetingsSpecial Meeting: Tues, January 24, 2023 @ 12:00 p.m. (Central Office)Regular Meeting: Mon, February 20, 2023 @ 6:00 p.m. (City Council Chambers) Special Meeting: Tues, February 28, 2022 @ 12:00 p.m. (Central Office) Tentative Committee Meeting Dates:Personnel & Curriculum Committee: Tues, February 7, 2023 @ 7:00 a.m. (Central Office)Policy Review Committee: Thurs, February 9, 2023 @ 4:00 p.m. (Central Office) Finance & Facilities Committee: Thurs, February 2, 2023 @ 4:30 p.m. (Central Office) Upcoming Event Highlights:Event |
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10. Adjourn
Discussion:
The meeting was adjourned at 7:05 pm.
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